proverb · Traditional
Don’t judge people by their relatives.
Judging people by their relatives is rejected as an unfair proxy. The saying asks that an individual be assessed through their own conduct.
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What does it mean?
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586 matching explanations
proverb · Traditional
Don’t promise something when you are full of joy; don’t answer letters when you are full of anger.
The saying advises pausing promises during intense joy and replies during intense anger. It links strong emotion with the need to consider consequential words.
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Don’t tell tales out of school.
Telling tales out of school pictures carrying information beyond the setting where it belongs. The supplied reading warns against disclosing confidential or damaging private matters.
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Don’t tell your secret to your friend, he will tell it to his friend.
A secret passed from one friend to another pictures information travelling beyond the first trusted recipient. The saying warns that personal confidence does not automatically limit disclosure.
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Dress up a stick and you get a doll.
A dressed stick becoming a doll gives presentation a role in turning a simple object into a represented figure. The saying connects added appearance with how something is perceived.
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Drunken folk often speak truth.
The saying suggests people sometimes speak truth while drunk. Often leaves room for variation, but the claim does not make intoxication a test of honesty.
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Eggs and promises are easily broken.
Eggs and promises compared as easily broken give a commitment the image of fragility. The saying warns that an assurance is not yet secure fulfilment.
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Empty pots make the most noise.
Empty pots making the most noise contrasts loud display with a lack of substance. The saying asks whether confident sound is supported by content.
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Empty vessels make the most noise.
The saying gives empty vessels the most noise. As a human analogy, it questions whether conspicuous talk has much substance behind it.
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Empty vessels make the most sound.
The saying gives empty vessels the most sound. As a human analogy, it questions the substance behind conspicuous talk.
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Even a fish would not get into trouble if it would keep its mouth shut. – Korean
A fish avoiding trouble by keeping its mouth shut gives silence an image of protection. The supplied sentence includes a Korean label.
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Even baseless accusations stain.
Baseless accusations leaving a stain gives an unsupported charge lasting reputational effects. The saying warns that lack of evidence does not always prevent harm.
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Even fools are thought wise when they keep silent; with their mouths shut, they seem intelligent.
The saying distinguishes appearing wise in silence from actually being wise. It imagines quietness concealing a person’s lack of understanding.
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Even the forest has ears.
A forest having ears personifies a setting as if it could receive what is said. The saying warns that a conversation may not be as private as it appears.
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Evening promises are like butter: morning comes, and it’s all melted.
Evening promises melting like butter by morning picture assurances losing substance quickly. The saying questions a commitment that does not endure beyond its occasion.
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Every "may be" hath a "may not be."
An uncertain outcome can fail to happen as well as happen. The saying balances hope with the alternative possibility, without claiming that the two outcomes are equally likely or that uncertainty makes preparation pointless.
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Everything unknown passes for miraculous.
Unknown things passing for miraculous contrasts a gap in understanding with an extraordinary explanation. The saying questions wonder treated as proof.
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Evil gotten, evil spent.
Something obtained through wrongdoing may be used or lost just as carelessly. The saying links a bad beginning with an unhappy result, without proving that every dishonest gain receives a matching punishment.
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Examine what is said, not him who speaks.
The instruction puts examination of a statement before judgment of its speaker. It asks for attention to the content of an argument.
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Excessive praise is like an insult.
Excessive praise compared with an insult questions admiration that loses proportion or credibility. The saying recognises that an apparent compliment can feel demeaning.
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Eyes like a Hawk.
The phrase compares someone’s eyes with a hawk’s. It praises sharp observation or noticing details through an animal image.
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Facts are facts.
Repeating facts as facts insists that reality cannot be changed merely by preference. The saying values recognizing what evidence establishes.
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Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored.
The saying separates a fact’s existence from the attention paid to it. Ignoring something is not presented as changing whether it is true.
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Faint praise is disparagement.
Praise so weak or qualified that it seems reluctant can convey criticism. The saying notices the message around the compliment, without proving that every brief or reserved acknowledgement is intended to disparage.
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